


When in Venice: The Power of Shakespeare in Teenage Flirtation

by miraculouslysam



Series: Of Spots and Men: Lovesquare One-Shots [3]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrinette, Confident Marinette Dupain-Cheng, F/M, Identity Reveal, Marinette is a smooth operator, blushy Adrien Agreste
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2020-01-01 07:22:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18331325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miraculouslysam/pseuds/miraculouslysam
Summary: aka "If Marinette Finds Out First" on my blogWhen Marinette discovers Chat Noir's civilian identity, she decides to play with him as payback for all his puns and flirtation in battle. Results may vary.





	When in Venice: The Power of Shakespeare in Teenage Flirtation

It had been three days since she found out that Adrien was Chat Noir. Well, three days, five hours, and sixteen minutes, to be exact. (Marinette was keeping track.)

The reveal was accidental. She had visited his house as Ladybug after a particularly nasty akuma attack. He never saw her drop down from the roof. Never noticed her looking in. Never viewed the confusion on her face as to why her kitty was in Adrien’s room. He never realized that she was watching in shock as he detransformed.

And she surely wasn’t going to tell him.

Luckily for Mari, the weekend had contained no more attacks after that one. She’d been able to stay home and process all that she’d seen.

She supposed it made sense, after she passed her initial shock. His looks certainly matched those of the cat’s, though his hair and eyes changed just slightly. She figured that no other person in Paris was as kindhearted as Adrien, cursing herself for not seeing it sooner.

But the weekend was over with. Monday morning meant facing him again, but with the knowledge that the boy in front of her was also the boy in black who flirted like there was no tomorrow.

Strangely, Marinette felt confident. She found comfort in knowing that he was her partner and close friend. This confidence carried her like wings as she entered the school. It gave her hope. Hope that he would see her for herself, too. Hope that he could reciprocate her feelings.

Sitting in class, she smiled to herself as she looked at the back of his head. As Ms. Bustier called their names, saying that they were to be partners on their latest literature project, she silently cheered to herself. Somehow she knew she would be able to speak normally to him, for once. Maybe she would be able to make him see her for once, and develop a real friendship with him as herself.

The bell rang, and Mari walked up to Adrien. “Hey, Marinette!” He said, grinning as he stood to walk with her. “It’s so cool that we’re partners. I feel like we never get paired up.”

“I know!” She felt Alya’s eyes watching them as they walked down the hall. “So, when can we work?” She glanced back at Alya, only to see her friend’s jaw drop at the lack of stutter that had come from Marinette’s mouth.

Adrien smiled at Marinette. “Well, we can work at my house later this afternoon. I have a photo shoot first, though…” He trailed off as he attempted to calculate how long the shoot would take.

“Okay. How about… you call me when you’re done, and I’ll come over then? Um… let me give you my number.” She held out her hand, waiting for him to hand her his phone. He unlocked it and began to pass it to her. She intentionally brushed his hand as she grabbed it from him, watching as a slight blush painted itself across his face.

 _“Interesting reaction,”_ she thought to herself as she typed her number into the phone, putting hearts by her name for good measure.

She handed the phone back to him with her contact page still displayed on the screen. He smiled again, one hand rustling his hair as his blush turned slightly darker. “O-okay. Thanks, Marinette.” Adrien felt a touch of shock come over him as his cheeks heated more.  _“Why am I stuttering now? Why am I blushing? Am I getting a fever? There’s hearts! Oh no, oh no, oh NO, SHE’S SO CUTE!”_ He thought to himself in a panic.

Marinette began walking away with a small smirk on her face, flirtily flicking a wave at him with her fingers - just as she would as Ladybug. “Talk to you later!”

**Four hours later…**

The two sat on the couch in Adrien’s room. He couldn’t help but steal glances at her when she wasn’t looking. He knew he should have been reading the play, but he was stuck. Her new confidence was intoxicating to him. He liked being able to hold a conversation with her, finally.  _“If only I could stop thinking about how cute she is… I mean, that smile is just… and those eyes…”_ He knew that his heart was still devoted to his lady, but that he would have to be careful not to let Marinette Dupain-Cheng be the death of him.

As Marinette leaned over, he found himself holding his breath. “So,” she began, a slight drawl in her voice as she played mindlessly with her hair, “which character shall we start with?”

Marinette knew what she was doing. She had known as soon as they were told to analyze a Shakespearean work. She had known when she suggested she and her companion should study _The Merchant of Venice_. She had known as she plotted her movements. Marinette knew exactly what she would do to whip Adrien Agreste into a frenzy.

“Well, I suppose let’s start with Portia. She seems interesting,” he replied, trying to avoid her eyes. Since when were they so big and beautiful, and when did he start feeling like he could drown happily in them for eternity? Had she ever interacted so directly with him, whether in speech or action?

“I love Portia! Her character is so complex. She seems childish and bored at first, yet her characterization speaks to everything wrong with the period. She’s trapped. Can’t quite tell the man she loves the truth about herself because she needs to help him. Can’t help him without a disguise. It’s a reality of her existence, that her life is dictated by everyone around her and her only way to have any sort of control is a disguise. Or at least… that’s what I think. What do you think?” She stopped, carefully placing a fingertip against his chest and staring further into his eyes.

Adrien could feel his heart racing more and more by the minute. He didn’t know where this new side of Marinette had come from, but he liked it. Too much, he decided. He couldn’t like her this much. She was just a friend. He loved Ladybug, dammit, and the girl with bluebell eyes in front of him wouldn’t just cancel out the other girl in his life.

She leaned in further, refusing to break eye contact. She could feel the pounding quicken under her touch. In what she hoped was a sultry voice, she asked her next question. “And do you ever feel like that?”

Marinette was playing a dangerous game. That much Adrien was sure of. What that game was, though, he couldn’t quite tell. He released a shaky breath as she removed her finger from his chest. Her confidence was the sweetest kind of catnip to him. Something about her looks, her actions… something reminded him too much of his lady. _No_. He would never be that lucky to have his dear friend also be the woman of his dreams. He _could_ never be that lucky.

He began to speak once regaining a semblance of composure. What he said, he wasn’t sure, but it must have made sense. She had nodded along, so something logical must have come out of his mouth. He had no clue, though. His focus had been on her fingers pulling the ties from her hair, running through the strands as they fell.

 _Beautiful_.

“…Adrien?” He snapped from his reverie as she waved her hand in front of his face. “What’s the matter?” A smile appeared on her face. No, not quite a smile. A smirk. “Cat got your tongue?”

_No, but he could have yours._

Marinette’s face became enflamed. Perhaps she wasn’t as prepared as she had believed herself to be. She should have known. Cat jokes were never the right answer with her feline friend. All confidence left her body in a wave of shock. “WHAT?!”

Adrien’s blood ran cold. “Did… did I say that out loud?” He whispered so softly that Marinette almost didn’t hear.

He was shaken. Apparently, though, not as shaken as Marinette. Or, at least, that’s what the flash of pink light and flurry of red and black taking an emergency exit straight out the window seemed to indicate…

Wait.

_What?!_


End file.
